FTBBQ: Bloody Mary Grilled Cheese

Sponsor: Whether tailgating in Happy Valley or watching the action at home, take your Saturday spread to the next level with Sauces, BBQ Dry Rubs and Bloody Mary Mix from the 409 Tailgate Club. Visit 409’s Online Store HERE.

As the days grow shorter, the nights turn colder, and as the holidays loom on the horizon, it’s once again time for us all to build up another Teflon-tough mental callus necessary for watching football alongside your dusty, sweater-clad relatives.

Oh it’s coming…peanut gallery comments spewing from your Werther’s Original, don’t-touch-the-thermostat, Matlock enthusiast grandparents about how today’s players are Charmin soft — what with their concern about their brains, earnest off-the-field interests, facemasks and forward passes.

As you turn to roll your eyes without detection, they’ll harken back to the Sepia Tone days of One-Platoon Football when guys played BOTH offense and defense, sucked on salt tablets when they were thirsty, then put in 14 hours mining iron ore and captured Fort Ticonderoga from the British as soon as the final whistle blew.

Legendary Penn Staters like Dave Robinson, an All-American defensive lineman who also caught 17 receptions for 178 yards at “end” for head coach Rip Engle and a young plucky assistant named Joe Paterno in 1962. If the name sounds familiar, Robinson went on to be a vital piece of Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay dynasty and an eventual Pro Football Hall of Famer.

Legendary Penn Staters like Mother Dunn, the first non-Ivy Leaguer to earn All-American honors from Walter Camp. Captain of the 1906 Nittany Lions squad, Dunn was a force both as a linebacker on defense and a center on offense – a two-way dynamo that never left the field.

Well, turns out, we here at the 409 Tailgate Club also have a versatile, One-Platoon star on our roster: ‘That Lady’s Sweet Bloody Mary Mix.”

A delicious way to brighten your morning and put some color in your cheeks during a chilly November tailgate, our signature Bloody Mary Mix also doubles as a key ingredient in several incredible tailgate recipes, many of which we’ve already shared with you. Hangover chili. Marinated Steak. And now our Bloody Mary Grilled Cheese!

The inspiration for this insanely delicious sandwich creation came from the folks at Delish. Well done! You can also find a few other variations online, but the concept is mainly the same. Start by making yourself some French Toast, but instead of milk in your egg mixture, use our Bloody Mary Mix! That Lady’s Sweet Bloody Mary Mix complements this sandwich perfectly! It’s rich in fresh tomatoes, loaded with horseradish, and is even infused with pure maple syrup! Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

Ingredients (makes 2 sandwiches)

1 cup, 409 Bloody Mary Mix ORDER HERE

2 Eggs

4 tbsp. butter

4 slices of White or Sourdough Bread

6 strips of cooked Bacon

4 slices Dill Pickle

4 slices White American Cheese

4 slices Cheddar Cheese

Kosher Salt

Fine Black Pepper

Directions

• Cook the 6 strips of bacon and set aside

• In a shallow bowl, whisk together eggs, bloody mary mix, and season with salt and pepper. Add 2 pieces of bread to the mix and let soak for about 10 seconds.

• Melt 2 tbsp. butter in a skillet over medium heat and add 2 slices of soaked bread. Cook for 2 minutes. Flip one piece of bread and top it with 2 slices of American, 3 strips of bacon, and 2 pickle slices, and then 2 slices of Cheddar. If you’re feeling crazy, go ahead and slap a slice of tomato in this bad boy. Top it with the other slice of bread.

• Cook each side of the sandwich until the bread is deeply golden. Should be about 5 minutes per side.

• Soak two more slices of bread and repeat process to make a second sandwich.